While expressing national security concerns about the popular video-sharing app, TikTok, Mr. Biden’s re-election campaign surprisingly joined the platform last month.
Joe Biden has indicated his readiness to sign legislation that would ban the popular video-sharing app TikTok in the United States. The legislation, which passed unanimously through the US House Energy and Commerce Committee on Thursday, urges China’s ByteDance, the owner of TikTok, to divest its ownership or potentially face a US ban.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, a supporter of the bill, suggested it would soon undergo a full vote in the House.
When asked by reporters about the legislation, Mr. Biden stated, “If they pass it, I’ll sign it.” The White House had offered technical support in drafting the bill, but White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre noted earlier in the week that the TikTok legislation “still needs some work” before Mr. Biden could fully endorse it.
Former President Donald Trump, a likely Republican presidential candidate, expressed opposition to a TikTok ban, suggesting it would benefit rival social media platform Facebook. Trump had previously issued and rescinded an executive action aimed at banning TikTok and another app, WeChat, during his presidency.
Both the FBI and Federal Communications Commission have expressed concerns that TikTok’s owner, ByteDance, could potentially share user data, including browsing history and location, with the Chinese government. TikTok has denied these allegations, stating it has never shared such data and would not do so if requested.
In 2022, Mr. Biden banned the use of TikTok by nearly four million federal government employees on devices owned by government agencies, with exceptions for law enforcement, national security, and security research purposes.
Despite these national security concerns, Mr. Biden’s re-election campaign decided to join TikTok last month. The UK also banned TikTok from government phones last year, aligning with actions taken by the US, Canada, and the EU.
